Thursday, January 22, 1998

On January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision in RoeV. Wade, a challenge to a Texas statute that made it a crime to perform anabortion unless a woman’s life was at stake. The case had been filed by"Jane Roe", an unmarried woman who wanted to safely and legally end herpregnancy. Siding with Roe, the Court struck down the Texas law. In itsruling, the Court recognized for the first time that the constitutionalright to privacy "is broad enough to encompass a woman’s decision whetheror not to terminate her pregnancy."

Greeted by President Fidel Castro as he stepped off the plane, the Popebegan his 5-day trip to Cuba with an appeal for Cuba to open up to theworld, and the world to open up to Cuba. Arriving in Cuba yesterday, PopeJohn Paul also took a slap at the U. S. economic embargo. In his welcomingaddress, President Fidel Castro denounced the embargo as "genocide."

Several weeks ago, New Jersey state troopers sent Pope John Paul II a letter asking him to call for the extradition of Assata Shakur, formerly known as Joanne Chesimard. Shakur, who was a member of the Black Panther Party, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the 1973 murder of a New Jersey state trooper. In 1973 she broke out from prison and now lives in exile in Cuba. In an open letter addressed to the pope, Assata tells her side of the story. [includes rush transcript]

DN! In Depth

By Amy Goodman with Denis Moynihan — The corporate television newscasts spend more and more time covering the increasingly disruptive, costly and at times deadly weather. But they consistently fail to make the link between extreme weather and climate change.